Climbing with Coke: The Mt. Kilimanjaro 'Coca-Cola Route'

To the Chagga people who live at the southern base of Mount Kilimanjaro,
Marangu means “land of water.” But for the hikers who follow the Marangu trail
to reach the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain, it is simply known as the
Coca-Cola route.

The history of Kilimanjaro and Coca-Cola dates back more than a century when
locals sold bottles of Coke and other drinks to hikers who took shelter in
stationary sleeping huts along the trail on their way up the Tanzanian
mountain.

“The Marangu Route, the oldest and traditionally the most popular trail on
the mountain, was dubbed the Coca-Cola route because the local wardens and
rangers stationed at the campsites along the way would supplement their income
by selling bottles of Coke to thirsty trekkers,” explains Henry
Stedman, author of Kilimanjaro: the Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest
Mountain.

Paul's map showing Marangu and its nickname, the Coca-Cola
Route.

As other trails were carved up the mountain, the moniker stuck as Marangu
gained a reputation as the smoothest and easiest road to the summit.

“Marangu has a more gradual slope and can be climbed in fewer days than
other trails,” says Brett Fischer, expedition coordinator at the Chicago-based Ultimate Kilimanjaro.
But it’s more challenging than it actually appears on the surface because the
shorter time frame makes it tougher for hikers to acclimate to the higher
altitudes, Fischer notes.

An estimated 40 percent of all Kilimanjaro climbers take the Marangu route,
but only about 30 percent actually reach the summit, he says.

Conquering New Heights

For one family from Cincinnati, OH who climbed the 19,341-foot peak in July, the
connection between Kilimanjaro and Coke ended up defining much of their
long-planned quest to conquer the legendary mountain.

Stephen Calardo, 57, decided he wanted to scale Kilimanjaro more than a
decade ago, when he saw the IMAX film, "Kilimanjaro:
To the Roof of Africa," and was dazzled by the scenery and intrigued
by the fact that it involved more walking than actual climbing.

“I thought, ‘I could do that’,” the Cincinnati attorney said. After years of
trying to coordinate busy schedules and the seasonal temperament of the region,
he and two of his four sons, Paul and Joe, finally settled on a date and
started intense research and preparation for their trip.

The Coca-Cola route seemed the way to go. The six-day expedition fit their
busy work and school schedules back home. Plus, “it seemed smoother and easier
than some of the more jagged, technical routes,” Calardo noted.

Coca-Cola came up frequently in articles and guidebooks about Kilimanjaro,
Paul Calardo recalled. Even his map of the mountain noted that the Marangu was
also known as the Coca-Cola route, he said.

"All the other routes are in Swahili. It was kind of funny,” said Paul,
a salesperson for a video and post-production company in Covington, Ky.

Stephen, Paul, and Joe, then a freshman in college, practiced hiking with
all their gear on trails around Ohio and climbed Pikes Peak in Colorado to get
used to the high altitudes they would be subject to in Africa. On that trip,
Paul was hit hard with vomiting, dizziness and confusion, but that made him all
the more determined to successfully scale Kilimanjaro.

Paul Calardo at Uhuru
Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mental Motivation

Once in Africa, “I put myself in a different place on the trail,” Paul said.
“I told myself, ‘you’re not sick.’ I focused on other things that made me
happy: what it would be like if I purchased a house, what my girlfriend was
doing. It was a mental toughness.”

“At one point, I remember talking on the trail with the others and saying
‘How good would a Coke and a pizza be right now?” he recalled with a laugh.

It worked. On July 20, the Calardo men made it to the top.

“It’s billed as the easiest of the seven summits, but it's extremely challenging," Paul
recalled. "People who had run marathons said it was the hardest thing they
had ever done.”

Nothing prepared them for the unique beauty of the Tanzanian landscape and
the spirit of its people.

They saw trees and rocks "straight out of Dr. Seuss," Stephen
noted, and witnessed five climate zones, from tropical rainforest to subzero
polar, in as many days. They were overcome by the kindness of the porters who
carried their food and extra gear up the mountain and chanted "pole,
pole" (po-lay, po-lay), which means go slowly in Swahili, to remind them
there was no need to rush.

On the day they would reach the summit, the hikers had to rise in the
pre-dawn hours in below-freezing temperatures, Paul recalled. The team of
porters sang in Swahili to encourage them as they began their 16-hour ascent to
the top.

"They were absolutely inspiring," he said. "I knew then that
this was a life experience."

When they reached the Marangu gate at the end of their journey, Paul not
only had conquered his altitude sickness to finish the hike, he had another one
of his wishes granted.

“All we’re drinking is (purified) stream water, we’re eating porridge and
potatoes and bread for every meal for six days. The second we came out of the
gate, we saw the gift shop and immediately went in and bought a Coke," he
said.

"And that was our celebratory toast. We cheered each other and I think
the first words out of my mouth were this is the best drink I ever had.”